Lyuxi is the only one ancient winery in Baisha that has survived the passage of time.[Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

A wine cluster that integrates Chinese white spirit production, culture and tourism is taking shape in southwestern Chongqing municipality's Baisha town.

Wang Hechuan uses a pottery bowl to collect some colorless liquid trickling down from a long bamboo chute at Lyuxi Winery in Baisha, a one-hour drive from downtown Chongqing.

He then tells us to look at the bubbles on the surface, which disappear in a few seconds.

"You can estimate the alcohol content of the wine by observing them (the bubbles)," says Wang.

They all point to the alcohol content.

"For example, the more consistent the bubbles, or the more quickly they disperse, the higher the alcohol content," he says

Wang has been in the brewing business－which dates back the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)－for more than four decades.